


Of Jerks And Jocks

by FlameryBlurs_MikeyDude



Category: Choices: Stories You Play, High School Story (Visual Novel)
Genre: And also fuccin cute, Brian Has BPD, But still fuggin intense, Dubious Canon, F/F, F/M, Like real intense, M/M, Other, This is intense yall, Unlikely Ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-13 01:42:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 16,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16883217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlameryBlurs_MikeyDude/pseuds/FlameryBlurs_MikeyDude
Summary: Brian has a secret motive for everything he's done.





	1. Chapter 1

Caleb was enjoying himself, hanging outside on his own, watching the clouds. He was completely at peace. No school to worry about, no team stuff, no-

"Caleb! Buddy, wait!" A voice called out from behind the boy. An oddly familiar voice. Caleb groaned as he turned around to face his former best friend, Brian Crandall.

"Dude, I already told you! You're on your own! We're finished!" He blurted out, irritated. Brian seemed shy, hurt, nervous. He was on the verge of breaking down. But this didn't warrant him any pity.

"I just wanted to see you, Caleb. I thought I owed this to you." He was looking down the whole time, not daring to face his friend.

"You owed me what? To steal my girlfriend? To bully my friends? To treat me like shit? To leave our team without a quarterback and turn against me!?" Brian remained silent, feeling the shame overcome him.

"What? Don't you have a snarky remark to throw at me!? Go on, I can take it!" Out of the corner of his eye, the ginger boy could see the new kid, Dylan, approaching them. He knew he had to act, and fast.

"What are you waiting fo-" Caleb was cut off when Brian pinned him against the concrete wall rather violently, staring at Caleb. Although, the latter couldn't detect any spite or animosity in his expression.

"Back off, Brian!" He heard Dylan shout. Panicked, Brian gave up on his plan.

"I'll be back later." And with that, the jock was on the run.

"What the hell was that?" Dylan asked. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm... Fine? Kinda puzzled. That's not like Brian to act like this." Caleb said. And he was right. Brian had been his best friend for years, and he knew him well enough to know something was bugging him.

"Hello? Earth to Caleb!" Without realising it, the boy had zoned out.

"Heh, sorry. I guess I should go ask him about that."

"You want me to do it for you?" Caleb smiled, but shook his head.

"Don't worry, I can fight my own battles. But thank you, Dylan, for sticking around."

"You can always count on me." Dylan flashed him a smile, just as Aiden waved at the pair.

"I think your boyfriend is waiting for you. You should go." Dylan nodded and went back to Aiden, leaving a rather confused and curious Caleb.

Later that day, Caleb crossed Brian on his way to his locker, alone. The opportunity was perfect. The jock walked up to the ginger and it was his turn to pin him against the lockers.

"Hey! What was that about earlier?" He inquired. Brian was visibly panicked.

"Woah, there might be people who come this way!" Brian replied.

"Does it look like I care? You're finished, Brian!" Brian glanced side to side, then turned back to face Caleb.

"Just don't freak out, okay? I have an explanation!"

"Oh yeah? I can't wait to heae what lies you're going to regurgitate next!" Caleb taunted. Brian took a deep breath, shut his eyes closed, then plunged forward, pressing his lips against Caleb's.

"I, uhh... I have to run. Catch you later." Brian elbowed his ex best friend and ran straight to his class. Caleb was left, baffled, standing in the hallway.

Caleb didn't pay any attention in class, zoned out the whole time, which didn't go unnoticed by his friends. Emma took him aside once class was over, suspicious.

"What's on your mind? You seem out of it." She asked. Caleb hesitated, then spoke.

"I suppose Dylan told you what happened this morning with Brian?" She nodded. "Well, just before class, I took him aside to know what that was all about and..."

"And what? He punched you?" Emma tried.

"He kissed me... I meam, he's made it pretty clear that he was straight, I don't know why he would do that!" Caleb continued. "I mean, Brian Nicholas Crandall, the most obnoxious womanizer of the century... Kissed his former best friend? That doesn't sound like him at all!"

"He must have lost a bet or made a dare!" Emma suggested, just as Brian passes by, unnoticed by the pair.

"I don't know, he didn't act like it. He seemed genuine, if I've ever seen him be."

"You shouldn't trust him! He might be trying to set you up! He's an assho-" Emma stopped as Brian shoved her. "Hey! What's your problem!?" She exclaimed.

"Don't. Tell. Anyone. About this. Got it?" Brian threatened. Emma rolled her eyes.

"You don't scare me! And besides, why do care so much? Nobody would care that you're bi! I know I am and no one is making a big deal out of it! Heck, Caleb is bi! Aiden is pan! Michael is bi! Mia and Sydney are lesbians! Dylan is gay! Payton is bi! Heck, even Max, from your precious school, is bi! He hit on Dylan during the first quarter! Do I need to go on?" Brian frowned.

"Shut up! I'm into girls! I was just, uh, curious!"

"Yeah, right." Caleb spit out as he rolled his eyes. "Can you come up with an even less credible excuse next time?" Brian, aggravated and defeated, scoffed and left.

"What was that about?" Michael asked. "I heard my name in here."

Caleb shrugged him off.

"It's nothing. I have to go, catch you guys later!" And with that, he was gone, following Brian.

The following days, Brian was avoiding everyone. He wasn't seen much, and no one was really looking for him. Except for Caleb, who really wanted to get to the bottom of this.

After hours of scanning the school when skipping class, he finally found the jock, hiding in the gym lockers.

"Hey! What are you doing in here?" Brian asked, getting defensive. Caleb held up his hands, gesturing for him to calm down.

"Chill, I was just looking for you! Why are you in here during class?" Brian only sighed and motioned for Caleb to sit next to him, which the boy did.

"Don't tell anyone what I did." He said sternly. "Or anything about us being here. Got it?" Caleb nodded, and Brian continued.

"I just... Did it. Not out of curiosity, not to ruin your date, just... I did it." Caleb was confused.

"Then why did you do it? And why don't you want anyone to know?" he asked.

"I have the hots for you, okay!? And my parents would rip me to pieces if they knew! And I'm not bi! You're, well, you're the only guy I've ever thought about this way." Brian was serious, worry and frustration plastered across his face.

"You're serious?" Caleb asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course I am, you idiot! This is not some stupid prank!" He took a few seconds to regain his composure. "I'll go straight to the point. Let's date in secret." Caleb was in shock. His former best friend was crushing on him? Who knew how long this had been going on? He took a deep breath.

"I'll consider it. By the way, please don't knock my head on a brick wall, next time. That really hurt. Brian laughed it off.

"Yeah, I'll go easy on mister the softie!" He patted Caleb on the shoulder and got up to leave. "Catch you later, loser!" He winked and left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my fic on Choices Amino, just posted here. I hope you peeps like it!


	2. Chapter 2

Caleb was deep in reflection. He was stuck in his room, chewing the end of a pencil, a football strategy guide sitting on his lap.

'What do I do? He asked me out, but... Do I like him? I know he's an absolute jerk and the most insufferable person ever, but... What if he finally stops caring only about his own person and start thinking of others for once? Would it be worth it?' His reflection was interrupted when Ezra walked in his room.

"Hey, bro." Caleb jumped.

"You could have knocked! I was reading this..." He flipped the book over to read the title. "...Fascinating strategy guide!" Ezra simply laughed.

"You can't lie to me, Caleb, I know you too well! Come on, what's bugging you?" He asked, sitting on his brother's bed. Caleb sighed.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" Ezra moved his fingers to his lips and motioned them across, zipping them shut. Caleb smiled meekly, but that smile soon disappeared.

"Brian kissed me the other day, and Friday, he asked me out. I would have refused, but I had never seen him like this! It's like I was seeing a deeper layer of my old best friend! And I-" Ezra couldn't contain his laughter any longer.

"That panty obsessed upskirter? Has a thing for you? That sounds like he's trying to set you up, bro!" Caleb frowned.

"No, I'm serious! I had never seem him act like this! It was as if he was on the verge of a panic attack or about to start crying at any moment!"

"He's manipulative, Caleb, this isn't going to end well for you and you know it."

"No, you don't understand! I just saw how scared he was when he mentioned how he didn't want his parents to know he had a thing for me! This isn't like Brian to be scared of his parents. He's an only child and he bosses them around all the time! So, him being scared of them isn't normal. And he wasn't faking either! It wouldn't surprise me if he peed his pants just thinking about it, judging by his expression. And-" Ezra put his hands on Caleb's shoulder, looking him dead in the eyes.

"Caleb. You're playing into his game. I only want the best for you, and I mean it when I tell you that I'm worried. Don't do it. For your safety." Caleb's expression dropped.

"But... I want to know. I'll tell you if things go South, okay?" Ezra sighed, but nodded.

"As you wish. Anyway, the band is coming over soon, I'll go finish warming up." As soon as Ezra left, Caleb picked up his phone and dug through his numbers, finally landing on Brian's.

A while later, Brian showed up at the Mitchell's house and headed straight for Caleb's room. Caleb was waiting inside, fiddling with his pencil.

"Hey. I thought about it, and yeah. Let's date." he said, not even looking up at his friend. Brian seemed uncertain.

"You're not trying to expose me by doing this, are you?" Caleb shook his head.

"If I were, the whole school would be in the know by now. I just thought I'd give you a chance to redeem yourself. You've already screwed them all up, but I trust you're not gonna break my heart all over again like you did when I was dating Zoe. Unless that's your plan?" Brian frantically shook his head, sitting on the bed.

"No, I won't! I mean it, I like you! I have for years, but you know me. I was your sidekick all along, and if I had told you before, I would have been in your shadow even more as 'that one gay friend' or, worse, cast aside." Brian explained.

"You're gay?" Caleb raised an eyebrow.

"No! I already told you, it's just you!" Brian looked annoyed. "I'm not gay, I'm not bi, I'm not even into men! I just... Happen to like you. A lot." Caleb shrugged.

"I don't mind. I'm bi anyway, but you already knew that. After all, you're the one who broke me up with my first boyfriend." Brian stared at his feet, eventually speaking up.

"I was jealous of him, okay? He was that handsome dude, all built up, and you fell for him! I just wanted to be him!" Caleb shrugged.

"Whatever, the past is in the past. What matters is now." He sat up and stuck his right hand in front of Brian.

"We'll date and I'll keep it secret, but you have to stop teasing my friends and being an asshole. Deal?" Brian eagerly shook the jock's hand.

"Deal! Can I, uh... Kiss you now?" It was Caleb's turn to burst out laughing.

"What? I'm curious, okay? I've never actually kissed a guy before! And I wanna know who's the best kisser between us!" Caleb finally caught his breath and grinned.

"Yeah, let's see that!" Brian shyly leaned forward, then stopped.

"How, uh... How do you kiss a guy?" Caleb rolled his eyes.

"The same as when you kiss a girl, moron! Look, let me show you, okay?" He grabbed the hem of Brian's shirt and yanked him inches from his own face.

"Go ahead. Make the first move." Hesitant at first, Brian leaned in again, then pinned his lips against Caleb's, holding the back of his friend's head with one hand and holding himself up with the other. Caleb returned the kiss, but broke it after only a few seconds.

"What? I'm not a good enough kisser?" Brian asked. His face was red with embarrassment, but some other emotion was creeping onto it. Fear, maybe? Anxiety? Caleb didn't even bother, still taken about.

"Woah... Dude, is that really how you do it? I mean, I've seen you make out with other girls before, and it always looks just sloppy and gross!" Brian grinned.

"I don't care for sloppy seconds, I keep my eyes on the prize." He laughed. "I couldn't care less about what those other girls think of me right now! Because I finally got you!" Caleb edged a smile and thought that, maybe, just maybe, this thing could work.

It was only a few hours later, the boys were playing hockey on Caleb's console, that Ezra knocked at the door.

"Come in!" Caleb shouted, just as Brian scored.

"Wooh! Take that, Montreal! You got nothing on Brian and Caleb! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S- Oh, hey Ezra! Buddy, how's it rolling?" Ezra frowned.

"You didn't listen to me, did you?" Caleb simply shrugged.

"I gave him a chance." Brian immediately seemed alerted.

"Wait, you-" But he was cut off by Ezra, who gave him a deadly glare.

"I know about your gig, and I'll keep my mouth shut about it. But I've got my eye on you, Crandall. You hurt my brother, you deal with me." Caleb was expecting a snarky remark from his now boyfriend, but it never came. Instead, he heard Brian promise his brother that he wouldn't hurt him, and thank him just before Ezra exited the room.

"You learned what manners were?" he teased, earning a displeased groan from Brian.

"Really funny. You know, I want to stay in one piece if I'm gonna be dating you, and for that, I can't have my parents know, and I can't anger your brother."

"You must really fear your parents, then." Brian immediately shook his head and said only those words.

"Eyes on the prize, Mitchell."

They played some more until it was time for Brian to leave. Caleb found it a bit odd that he would leave at such an early hour, but Brian explained that he didn't want to raise any suspicions, and that his aunt was coming over. He kissed Caleb goodbye and left in a hurry. Caleb simply laid there on his bed, passing his fingers over his lips, and wondering to himself what was ahead of him with Brian. Summer Class wasn't the best, but due to all the events of the year, they had missed major portions of the lessons and it was necessary for the whole school to attend. Caleb only hoped that he would keep what Brian and him had a secret. Summer wouldn't be that bad, after all.


	3. Chapter 3

The days went by, Caleb and Brian hung out most of the time. Often they would join Caleb's gang, and they would either give Brian disapproving glares or ignore him outright. Of course, only the two of them were there when they hid in locker rooms, or empty classes, or even hung out in the parking lot after school. Those were their moments. When they could talk freely, laugh and rage, be together. But most important to Caleb, it was during those moments that he could meet the same Brian he used to hang out with as a child, rediscovering the good nature that high school, football and good looks overtook. Those moments meant the world to both of them. And Brian, seeing the approval on his boyfriend's face, couldn't ask for anything else. Or, maybe he could.

"You want to go where!?" Caleb asked in disbelief.

"Come on, just for one weekend! Just the two of us! I already have the tickets to the match and the plane seats booked!" Brian insisted.

"You really want to go to Canada, just to watch Boston's team win against Montreal?" Caleb crossed his arms on his chest and Brian gave him an innocent look.

"Fine! I met this girl online and-" He stopped when he saw Caleb's offended look.

"A while back, dude, this Winter! Anyway, she sells all kinds of stuff, and I was super hyped about a green alien rock!"

"You believe in aliens?" Caleb was even more confused, but Brian just shrugged.

"Why not. Anyway, I just thought it looked nice and would make an exceptional lucky charm! I mean, Hearst needed a new one at that time, so when I saw this, it just clicked! But now? I'd rather have this thing bring luck to us." Brian finished, looking at Caleb with pleading eyes. The brunette finally flinched.

"Fine, we're going to go buy your alien rock from that lady in Canada, if that's really what you want!" Brian pumped his fist in the air in victory, grinning from ear to ear.

"Canada, here we come to kick your butt!" Caleb laughed, but Brian shut him up with a long kiss.

"Thank you."

Two days and an airport drive later, the boys found themselves in a plane headed straight to Ottawa. Brian was by the hub while Caleb was texting his friends back at Cedar Cove.

'You're really going to Canada with this asshat?' Dylan asked. Caleb rolled his eyes and replied to him quickly. His eyes went back and forth between his phone and Brian, who had fallen asleep with his cheek against the hub window. Caleb laughed to himself and snapped a quick picture of his boyfriend, sending it to Dylan with the caption 'Such an innocent sleepy soul!'

'Why do you trust him?' The boy contemplated the question, and finally came up with an answer.

'Because he trusts me.'

When the plane finally landed, the boys got off the plane, after Caleb blew in his boyfriend's ear to wake him, and they headed straight for a hotel room to rent.

"Ugh, this bed is so uncomfortable and small! How do you expect me to sleep in this?" Brian complained.

"With me?" Caleb suggested. "I make a very good body pillow." he added, snickering, earning an eyeroll from the ginger.

"I don't know about that, but I know that you snore and that you're loud as frick." He retorted.

Caleb only laughed and nodded.

"Hope you brought your earplugs!" Brian groaned and emptied his pockets.

"I have 200 American, so that means 240 Canadian. What about you?" Caleb opened his wallet and took out a 50$ bill.

"I have this thing."

"60 Canadian. Yep, I think I can take you somewhere fancy with just that!" Brian suggested, much to Caleb's surprise. "What, I didn't bring a suit for no reason!" Caleb smiled.

"I knew you had potential!" He gave his boyfriend a quick kiss on the cheek, and Brian freaked out.

"Crap, we're late! Hurry, we have to go that shop now!" He dragged Caleb out of the hotel room and grabbed the nearest taxi, getting in.

"Jerry's Trashy Treasure Shop, please!" he blurted out, holding onto Caleb's hand firmly. The driver gave them a strange look and drove off, as Brian sighed.

"Imagine coming all the way here and finding out that we forgot the most important thing!"

"The taxi ride?" Caleb joked, then kissed Brian, getting a chuckle out of him.

"No, moron, the rock!" Suddenly, the cab came to a halt.

"Out." The lady ordered.

"What? But we're over a mile away!" She shook his head and parked her car.

"I said out. I don't want any of your messing around in my car! Now get out!" The two boys complied, and the lady drove off immediately.

"Geez, what was that for!? We didn't vandalise her precious car!" Brian exclaimed, outraged. Caleb only sighed.

"That's the harsh reality of couples like us, Brian."

"Oh yeah? Well, watch me! I'll show it to those people!"

"Wait, no, that's not a-" But it was too late. Brian was already climbing on the roof of the pizzeria next to them, and he shouted.

"Hey, everybody! I love this guy! And if you don't like that, well, you can go fu-"

"Brian Nicholas Crandall, get back here immediately!!" Caleb warned, and needless to say, he didn't need to repeat himself.

"What? Too much?" Caleb sighed, then burst out laughing.

"Are you kidding? That was awesome! Now come on, let's go get that stone! We have a lot of walking to do!" And with that, the boys were on their way.

Once at the shop, they were greeted by a young girl about their age.

"Hey, boys! I'm Jenny! What can I help you with?" Brian was the first to step forward, setting 40$ on the counter.

"I'm here for the rock. You kept it for me, right?" Jenny's face lit up.

"I thought you'd never come! Hold on!" She bent down to pick up something under the counter and handed him a big, bright neon green rock to Brian.

"Woah, it looks like a huge neon diamond!" Caleb beamed.

"You need it for your school, is that it?" Jenny asked.

"At first, yeah." Brian corrected. "But now, I think my, uh, friend and I need it. Right, Caleb?" The latter didn't respond, glaring at him instead.

"A friend, hm? Yeah, I don't buy it. You know you don't have to hide, right? I have a fiancée and she's gorgeous." Jenny reassured, flashing them both a smile. "That'll be 50$. Oh wait, 40 American, let me get my calculator!" While Jenny was busy typing away, Brian whispered to Caleb.

"She's hot." He earned a nudge from the brunette, who appeared less than pleased by his statement.

"Yep, 50! Have a nice day, boys!" Jenny waved them goodbye as they exited the store, Brian carrying the rock in his arms.

"She's hot? What happened to me, Brian? I thought you had your eyes on the prize!" Brian looked, for the first time, it seemed, scared to have messed up.

"I'm sorry, I just thought she-" He was quickly cut off by Caleb's laughter.

"I'm just kidding, I thought she was hot too!" They laughed it off and made their way back to the hotel.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Caleb asked as Brian groaned.

"For the last time, we have shared a room a bunch of time! We even shared sleeping bags as kids! I don't see why I would be bothered! Besides, it's either we share a bed for the night, or one of us sleeps on the floor!" Caleb was about to argue, but found nothing.

"Besides, I wouldn't mind using you as a teddy bear for the night." Brian added, cuddling Caleb, putting a smile on his face.

"Whatever. Goodnight, Brian."

"Night." Brian hit the lights and, soon enough, it was an orchestra of snores.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Yes, I made them visit my country.


	4. Chapter 4

The pair ended up going on a date at a rather cheap amusement park, staying until closing hours. When they both got back to the hotel, breath sickly sweet and hands sticky from too much cotton candy, they both collapsed on the bed and took a rest.

Brian was still awake. It was only 2 am, but he was unable to sleep any longer. So he stared at Caleb. And stared. He tried to ignore all the thoughts rushing in his head, because they all seemed to get worse and worse. He ended up getting dressed and leaving the hotel room, going out on the streets of Ottawa.

He picked a fight, pretended to be of age and wooed one of the barmaids to be allowed in a bar, ended up knocking someone out with a bottle of beer, running out just fast enough not to get caught and settle in his hotel room. Unbeknownst to him, Caleb was also an insomniac, and he was waiting for Brian, arms crossed on his chest.

"I just got off the phone with Ottawa's police officers, you're not in trouble with them." he simply said. Brian sighed of relief.

"Thanks dude! I really don't know how I would ha-"

"You're not out of trouble with me, Brian." The ginger boy stopped in his tracks and kept quiet.

"What were you thinking!? Underage drinking? Instigating fights in a bar? Harassment of a barmaid? Death threats?" Brian felt cornered.

"Listen, dude, I can exp-"

"What makes you think I want to hear your pathetic excuses? I don't want you to do a 180 and tell me how boring I am and how school is holding you back and you just wanted to have fun! It's not gonna work, this time!" Caleb was furious, but instead of getting mad or scared, Brian... Was crying?

"I'm sorry! I didn't think this through, I never do for anything! I didn't even tell my parents about our trip, I just bought the tickets and paid for our plane seats and I left with you!" He was sobering up as he talked, and Caleb was taken aback by his honesty.

"But why? Why, Brian? Don't you take anything seriously? I want answers! Stop lying to my face and tell me everything!" Brian turned his back to his boyfriend, leaning his forehead against the wall.

"It's just how I am. I have Borderline Personality Disorder, but no one believes it! Especially not my parents! Do you really think I would act out like this and do all those things otherwise?" By that point he sounded disappointed, saddened. Caleb got up and opened up his arms.

"Come here. I'm really sorry, I had no idea." Brian buried himself in Caleb's arms.

"I'm sorry I'm like this. I rush everything, I'm always too intense and I act without thinking... I should have told you years ago, I owed you an explanation." Caleb comforted him, listening without judgement, forcing himself to keep an open mind, as Brian finally came clean about his motives for everything.

"I just couldn't bear to see you with that bit-"

"Language, Brian."

"Sorry... But it was too painful to see you with Zoe, so I figured that if I couldn't be with you, neither could she. I convinced her to go out with me behind your back, and it was rather easy, because she was planning on dumping you. You were too good for her and she felt undeserving."

They stayed up the rest of the night, holding each other close, as Brian empties his bag.

"I was just so mad that she had made a fool out of me in front of the whole school. And because I didn't get my chance at showing you I could be nice and making you jealous, I just lost it. I tried to hit her with a baseball at the match..."

"None of what you just said justifies or excuses your behaviour, you know, Brian?" He nodded.

"I know, I just thought you deserved to know my side of the story." Caleb pressed their lips together, edging a smile.

"I forgive you. For everything. And I'm sure the others would too if-"

"No! You're not telling anyone about this!" Brian was suddenly filled with fear and rage. "No one can know anything about what I just told you! Not even your brother!"

"Okay, fine, I'll keep it secret, then, no need to freak out!" Caleb replied, taken aback, and the redhead finally laid down.

"We should get ready for the match, it start in 3 hours."

The match was just about to start. Caleb and Brian were sporting a black, white and yellow shirt, cheering on Boston Bruins in the stadium. The place was full of people, cheering on both sides. Some fights had already broken up between fans of both teams, since their rivalry was well known among NHL enthusiasts. Brian almost got into a fistfight with a loud lady cheering on Montreal's team, but Caleb held him back and managed to calm him down.

The match was a pretty intense one, although the scoring was nothing to be scared of. Boston was winning 3-0.

"Take that, Montreal, the Bruins are gonna kick your as-" Caleb elbowed him in the ribs.

"Watch it."

"They're gonna destroy you!" They were having an overall good time at the game. Once it was over, and Boston won 4-1, they shared a kiss, but were caught by an unexpected visitor.

"What the hell are you doing, Brian?" He quickly broke the kiss and turned around.

"Who- Max!? What are you doing here?" Max crossed his arms on his chest.

"My uncle from Massachusetts was playing. Why were you making out with that Berry kid? I thought you had standards." Max taunted.

"Yet you still chose Kara! Talk about standards now, huh? Do you know that she and I made out behind your back when your finals were taking you too long? She's a pretty bad kisser, if I dare say so!" Brian spit out. Both Max and Caleb were shocked to hear this.

"You did what!?" Caleb exclaimed. "Why would you do such a thing!?" Max, on the other hand, was far from calm. He punched Brian and tackled him.

"You pig... Take that back!" Max kept hitting and punching Brian, who wound up bruised and knocked out quickly enough.

"Hey, hey, stop it! He's already K.O!" Caleb shouted, pushing Max off of Brian, who was barely conscious.

"He deserved it!" Max hissed, turning his back and leaving.

"Brian, are you okay?" Brian weakly nodded, his face bloody and bruised. Caleb helped him up and carried him on his back to their hotel room.

"You really shouldn't have told him that. You know how Max is, you go to school with him."

"He deserved it! Didn't you say I should tell the tru- Ow! Be careful!" Brian whined, and Caleb sighed.

"If you didn't get yourself into another fight, I wouldn't have to fix up your face, you imbecile!"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me, okay?" Brian shouted, exasperated. "Geez! I know I messed up, now let it die!" Caleb kept quiet and simply finished cleaning up and healing Brian, he started packing his things, getting ready for the airport.

"Hey, what are you doing? I thought I was taking you out to eat at a fancy place!" Brian asked, and Caleb just shrugged.

"Change of plans, we have to go now if we don't want to miss our flight." He replied. He sounded strained and disappointed. "Come on, let's go home." Brian didn't dare reply, and he opted with following in silence instead of arguing.

Their flight home was quiet, uncomfortable, ominous. Caleb was still mad at Brian, and Brian was disappointed in himself. They arrived at Cedar Cove in Brian's car. Brian had his eyes on the road, his mouth shut, one hand on the wheel and the other over Caleb's near the clutch, rubbing his thumb on the delicate dark skin of his boyfriend's palm. Caleb had his head on Brian's shoulder, napping lightly, a shy smile on his face.

Brian parked in front of the Mitchell's house and moved his shoulder a little to wake Caleb.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty, your makeup is smearing." Brian said, smiling at his boyfriend as Caleb yawned and stretched.

"What are you talking about, I don't wear ma- Oh, we're here..." He sounded almost defeated.

"Yeah. Do you want me to walk you inside?" Caleb shook his head.

"I'll be fine." They stayed this way for some painfully long and awkward minutes, until Caleb broke the silence.

"Thank you for the amazing weekend, Brian. I had the time of my life with you." Brian shrugged.

"I just couldn't think of anyone else with whom I'd want to go watch hockey with. And I think I chose the right person." Brian leaned in and pressed his lips to Caleb's, kissing him, prolonging the moment until Caleb pulled away.

"I should get going... See you tomorrow at school?" Brian nodded and gave him one last quick peck on the lips before Caleb got out of the car and into his house.


	5. Chapter 5

Brian drove to school on Monday, Berry High. Hearst was still in reconstruction and couldn't host Summer classes. As he parked, someone jumped on his car, making him jump and hit his horn.

"Hey! I have to talk to you!" the person said. Brian gave them a closer look and realised it was...

"Mia? What the heck are you doing on my car!? Get off!" he yelled, getting out of his car. "Why did you do that? You could have scratched it!" Mia snickered.

"You know, you're pretty macho. But I think you forgot that Max is my brother, and that, even if I don't like hockey, I had to go to that match to see my uncle, right?" Brian stood there, anxious.

"You don't like hockey?" he repeated as Mia shook her head.

"That's not where I was going, Brian! I saw you kiss Caleb at the stadium!" Mia yelled, losing her patience. Brian quickly glanced around to make sure no one had heard them, then covered Mia's mouth with his hands.

"Not so loud! Someone might hear us!" he shout whispered.

"Who might hear you?" Caleb asked, walking towards them.

"Hey, dude!" Brian greeted his boyfriend with a warm, long kiss, forgetting that Mia was even here for a moment.

"Wait... She knows too?" Caleb asked, much to Mia's annoyance.

"He's my brother, dummy! And I was there too! But anyway, just be careful around him, okay? I'll keep your secret, but he might not." She then left, walking to the school. Caleb was rather confused.

"She saw us?" Brian nodded.

"And she jumped on my new car, while I was driving! Just to tell me that." He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Anyway, we should go get ready for class." Caleb gave a nod of agreement and, after making sure the coast was clear, the two of them walked into the school hand in hand.

The following days blended into each other, schoolwork, friends and alone time between boyfriends. Nothing rather significant happened, until ond Saturday morning. The boys had a sleepover at Caleb's place, and everything was going smoothly. The boys were cuddling in Caleb's bed, still bare-chested due to the suffocating hot Summer weather, watching TV together, when Max burst into the room.

"Woah, Max, what the hell? What are you doing in my room?" Caleb asked, startled. Max crossed his arms on his chest, smirking triumphantly.

"Caught in the act. You're over, Brian! The whole school will know you're with that pathetic Berry kid!" Max said. "And you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll spread the word!" Brian was starting to panic, trembling and sweating.

"I'm screwed, I'm so screwed, I'm done for!"

"Look what you've done, jackass!" Caleb growled, trying his best to calm Brian. Ezra, who heard bits of the conversation, then burst in and glared at Max.

"What do you think you're doing in this house, Max? I can't believe you'd come all the way here to bully my brother and his boyfriend!" he exclaimed, outraged. Max held his hand up in front of him.

"I have nothing against you, pal! The one I have a bone to pick with is Brian! I'm sure you hate him as much as I do anyway!" Max realised he was wrong when he noticed Ezra's hands ball into fists.

"Brian is my brother's boyfriend. That makes him family. And no one, no one, hurts my family. Got it?" Max tried to disregard him, and turned back to Brian.

"If you want me to keep your stupid little secret, fine. I just ask one thing in return; if you fail to do it, the whole town will know." Brian nodded. "You have to have quit Hearst by the end of the Summer. If I hear that you're still attending Hearst next year, I'll make your life hell." He turned his back to the boys and stormed out.

"What a jerk!" Ezra whispered as Max left. Brian, still in a state of panic, was curled up in Caleb's arms, sobbing and slowly recovering from his panic attack. Ezra noticed and sat on the bed, hugging the boys in a tight embrace.

"I won't let him boss you around, okay?" Brian didn't seem to hear, still shaking slightly. Ezra lifted his chin so that they were face to face.

"I meant what I said, Brian. You're part of the family now, and I'm not about to let some Hearst kid hurt you. You hear me?" Brian nodded, slowly calming down, stuttering out a weak 'Thank you' before taking a deep, uneven breath. Ezra edged a smile and ruffled the ginger's hair.

"Hope you guys are ready, we're going to the beach. It's volleyball season and I'm sure neither of you want to let the Cedar Cove team down this year. Dating is not an excuse to give up on your team!" He got up and left, flashing them both a warm smile.

"I think I'm starting to like your brother. He's really nice." Brian said, earning a chuckle from Caleb.

"Wait until you see him mad, you're gonna change your mind for sure!" But Brian just shrugged.

"I have no intention of ever hurting you." That was all he said, and all he needed to say. The two stayed together for a moment before finally deciding to get ready for the beach. There's nothing like a good game of volleyball to clear your head...

Right?


	6. Chapter 6

Ezra drove the boys to the beach, singing along to some punk artist that was playing on the radio.

"Is that really what he likes to listen to?" Brian asked Caleb, who nodded. "Damn... That's why he's so badass and intimidating..." Having overheard, Ezra stopped the car and turned to face the boys.

"I'm intimidating? I thought I was just awesome?" Caleb laughed.

"You scare a lot of Freshmen, Ezra." To this, Ezra simply shrugged and started driving again.

"They're scared of my awesomeness!" They all started laughing and Ezra parked his car. "Everyone out, the beach is calling!" He jumped out of the car and ran to the beach to join his friends, while Caleb and Brian decided to stay in the car a little longer.

"I don't want to have to go a whole day with you where I can't show that I love you..." Brian sighed, beaten down. Caleb hugged him tightly.

"I'll still know that you do, Brian. And I wouldn't mind telling our friends, you know?" Brian shook his head.

"I really don't want my parents to wind up hearing I have a boyfriend from someone else. And I don't want them to know at all. They'd annihilate me..." They shared a soft kiss before getting out of the car and joining the rest of their friends.

They spent the day chatting, playing volleyball and having a good time overall. The day came to an end and they were all gathered around a campfire.

"So, does everyone have a date for the Summer dance?" Dylan asked, as the gang shrugged.

"We could go with our prom dates?" Maria suggested. "It's an unofficial dance I planned on request from the school board so we would have something to look forward to and not feel like our Summer was wasted." she explained nonchalantly.

"I'm not going!" Brian immediately said, nervous. The gang turned to look at him with mixed reactions.

"We don't mind you not being a jerk, you know?" Aiden informed. "That doesn't mean we don't want you at the Summer dance!" Brian was fidgeting with a stick, looking for an excuse.

"My girlfriend is on vacation!" he blurted out, and most of his friends rolled their eyes.

"The same girlfriend who lives in Canada?" Cameron asked in a mocking tone.

"Why don't you just go as friends with someone?" Emma suggested. "Or better yet, why don't you go with Caleb?" Brian's face flushed red with fear and embarrassment.

"Why would I go with a guy? I-I'm not gay!"

"Come on, you really think no one knows about your experimental kiss? The whole school knows it! There's nothing to be ashamed of, Brian!" Micheal reassured.

"It was a one time deal, guys! Don't tease him for it!" Caleb defended. Brian was completely still, not looking at anyone, on the edge of an anxiety attack.

"If everyone knows, that means my parents know too..." he whispered. Caleb quickly took him aside near the water.

"Hey, Brian, calm down! If they haven't brought it up to you, it's because they don't know, okay?" Brian weakly nodded.

"But what if someone tells them? I'd be finished..." Caleb hugged him tightly, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

"I'll make sure nothing happens to you." Brian nodded. "And besides, our friends probably already know just because of how much time we spend together." He nodded once more. "And you know, someone's got to tease the only ginger in the group!" he ruffled his boyfriend's hair, earning a quiet chuckle from him.

"You're right... We can trust them." Brian edged a smile and walked back to the campfire, grabbing Caleb's hand at the last second to sit next to him.

"I told you, Micheal! You owe me 20!" Wes exclaimed, extending his hand. Micheal reluctantly gave him a 20$ bill, rolling his eyes.

"It's not like it wasn't obvious!"

"Wait... Were you guys making bets on whether we were together or not?" Caleb asked, and Wes nodded.

"At least, Micheal and I did. He was the only one who didn't believe it."

"You don't mind?" Brian asked, making sure, and they shook their heads.

"I'm still mad at you for harassing me the past quarter, so I've got my eye on you, Crandall. Don't you dare hurt Caleb." Myra warned, glaring at Brian, who nodded frantically.

"I would never hurt him, I swear!"

"So, does that mean you're bi?" Aiden asked.

"Absolutely not! I'm not into guys! I just like Caleb!" he replied, outraged. "Why do you even assume I like men just because I'm dating my best friend? People make exceptions all the time!" he continued. "That's exactly why I didn't want anyone to know! They all assume I'm into guys when I clearly am not! And because of that my parents are gonna kill me when someone tells them their son is gay!" Brian got up. "Which I'm NOT!" He stormed back to the car, kicking one of the tires before locking himself inside.

"Woah, your boyfriend has temper issues!" Koh noted, but Caleb shook his head.

"It's much more complicated and he doesn't want anyone else to know." Caleb got up as well and joined his boyfriend in the car.

"Brian, is everything okay?" The redhead shook his head in response.

"This is worse than what I could imagine... Everyone knows we're together! Do you know what that means?" Caleb hugged him.

"I'll make sure your parents don't learn about it, I promise. If you want, we could ask one of our friends to pretend to be your girlfriend in front of your parents? I'm sure Emma wouldn't mind." he suggested and Brian sighed.

"This isn't going to end well for us, is it?"

Time went by as normal and, although their friend knew about their couple, Brian and Caleb kept it secret to everyone else. However, it was difficult at times, especially in social formation class, specially added to form students for adult life during the Summer program.

"It is estimated that same sex couples are the most likely to be assaulted, behind women. So, ladies and gents, take your precautions! Pepper spray is always something good to have on hand!"

"Homosexuality in the workplace is greatly frowned upon. And even if discrimination from employers is illegal, they are always capable of finding loopholes or giving other excuses not to hire or to fire someone who's sexual orientation or identity deviates from heterosexual and cisgender."

"Many courts still rule in favour of the aggressor in cases of assault towards homosexual or transgender individuals. New laws are being put in place to protect them, but discrimination still exists and shows no sign of disappearing."

Brian, already stressed out from all the warnings he had gotten in class from his teacher, ran to his locker and hid there, skipping most of his classes. He didn't want anyone to see him flinch or break, and isolation was his only relief. Or at least, it was, until he found a pretty ominous note hidden in his locker.


	7. Chapter 7

Brian scurried out of the school, shoving past students without caring. He was beyond mad. The paper in his fist was crippled, and although he didn't know who had sent it, he knew who he had to talk to.

Caleb was relaxing by a shade tree when Brian grabbed his collar and lifted him to his feet.

"I hope you have a solid explanation for thisl!" he yelled, shoving the note in his face. Caleb, taken aback, read the note out loud.

'Caleb is my boyfriend, back off before everyone hears about it.' "What? I'm not dating anyone other than you! Brian, I swear I'm not cheating!" But Brian wasn't listening. Rage was boiling inside him, the burning emotion filling his ears and his eyes.

"Do you really think I'd go as low as to cheat on you and run the risk of losing you? Is that how you see m-" Caleb didn't get the time to finish his sentence before Brian's fist came flying into his face.

"We're over, Mitchell!" he yelled, walking away from Caleb, leaving him hurt, confused and heartbroken.

Meanwhile, two partners in crime, reconciliated, just wanted to see Brian break.

"Do you think he's weak enough now?" the girl asked, but the boy shook his head.

"He's mad, it won't work. We can't forget about his condition. We have to bring him to his lowest level to make sure he's never coming back to Cedar Cove again. We just need to pull a few strings, and it will all be over." he explained, dipping his girlfriend and kissing her.

The following day, Caleb and Brian avoided each other. Their friends tried to question them, but neither responded. Even Ezra tried to know what happened from Caleb, to no avail. But seeing how hurt his brother was, he looked for Brian and confronted him, shoving him into a locker.

"What did you do to my brother!?" he asked, furious. Brian didn't respond, simply looking down. "Answer me!"

"I punched him and broke up with him because he was cheating on me." Brian replied, murmuring.

"That's nonsense, Caleb would never do that! You're just making this up to justify hitting him!" Ezra accused.

"I received a note from his girlfriend in my locker, isn't that proof enough!?" Brian yelled, and Ezra grabbed him by the neck.

"Don't talk to me like that. I don't want to see you even look at my brother ever again, got it?" Brian, scared, nodded, and Ezra let him go. He ran out of the school and climbed in his car, skipping the rest of the day.

"Brian, Julian's waiting for you at the door!" his mother called, knocking on his door.

"Tell him to leave, I'm trying to get over my breakup!" he replied, intriguing his mother, who walked.

"What breakup? Not with a boy, I hope?" Brian shook his head, avoiding to look at her. "Poor little boy. You know, she wasn't worth it. She probably was just a disgusting lesbian who tried to cover it up! Don't waste your time crying over her, come on! You have your friend at the door!" Brian sighed.

"Tell him to come in..." Mrs. Crandall hurried downstairs and lead Julian to Brian's room, where she left them.

"Hey, Brian, how're you holding up? I heard what Caleb did, I'm really sorry." Brian simply nodded, trying to keep his composure.

"I know I got his girlfriend to cheat on him, but that was months ago, and I already told him everything! He knows all about me!" Brian couldn't bear it anymore and he burst into tears.

"Does he know you have BPD too?" Julian asked, surprising Brian.

"How do you-"

"My mother has it, I just put 1 and 1 together." Brian nodded, calming down.

"I can't believe he would do this... It's not like him to act so selfish, I don't get it!" Julian patted his shoulder.

"He may have been set up." Julian suggested. Brian shrugged.

"I just want to rest for now, I don't want to go on a monster hunt in the odd chance that Caleb was set up..." Brian retorted.

"That's fine, I'll leave you to it. See you tomorrow!" Julian said and left as Brian sighed.

"I knew it wasn't about to end well..."


	8. Chapter 8

It wasn't unusual for Caleb to play games when he needed to clear his mind. He would stay in his room for days and come out only to go to the bathroom or eat. That's why Ezra didn't ask too many questions.

It wasn't unusual for Caleb to go for a jog or go to the basement and train when he was mad. His muscles would rip and strain, his body would swell up and look muscular. He would barely get any sleep but, being an insomniac, he wouldn't have gotten much more anyway. That's why Ezra didn't question his behaviour.

However, when he noticed a few of his albums missing and caught Caleb listening to them on a loop while eating sweets in his room, Ezra became worried. His brother didn't like his music much and never had a sweet tooth. That's why Ezra burst in his room, alarmed.

"Caleb, are you okay?" he asked. Caleb didn't respond, too busy listening to his brother's music. Ezra grabbed his headphones and threw them to the side. "Hey, it's me. What's wrong? Is it because of Brian?" He sat on the edge of the bed, watching Caleb closely.

"Yeah... I didn't cheat on him, I swear! I just..." He stopped to take a few deep breaths to keep himseld from tearing up. "I don't know who plotted to break us up, but I just want to punch them in the face as hard as Brian punched me. They made my boyfriend leave and tarnished my name." he said, more sternly this time. Ezra nodded, offering him a hug.

"We'll find out who did it soon enough, I promise." Caleb nodded, buried in his brother's arms, barely holding back his tears.

"I just want him to believe me and come back..."

"Do you want me to go talk to him with you?" Ezra suggested, to which Caleb agreed, and they both got in Ezra's car, driving to Brian's place.

"Brian, sweetie, you have more visitors!" Mrs Crandall called.

"Let them in, mom!" he replied, mumbling to himself. "It's not like things could get any worse now that- Caleb? Ezra? What are you two doing here?" He scrambled onto his bed, backing away from the brothers. Caleb was the first to speak up.

"I just wanted to tell you that I didn't cheat on you. I would never even think of doing something like this. I was set up, and I hope you believe me, because I really don't want to lose you..." he said. Brian gulped, scared and guilty.

"And you? You're not here to beat me up, are you?" Ezra shook his head.

"I just drove him here." he assured, to Brian's relief. Until Caleb noticed pools of red stains on the sheets. He gave a puzzled look to Brian, who simply bowed his head and remained silent. They all understood what it meant and decided to not even bring it up.

"I... I'm sorry for acting like a jerk, Caleb. I just love you so much and I have for so many years, it was painful to even so much as imagine you cheating on me... But I overreacted, and it was fairly obvious that you were set up. I'm really sorry... Do you want to take me back?" he asked, and Caleb jumped in his arms, planting kisses all over his face.

"Of course, you idiot!" Caleb replied and Ezra smiled, until Brian's mother burst in.

"Hey, ma'am! Everything going smoothly?" Ezra asked, swiftly blocking the doorway and blocking Mrs Crandall's view, sparing the boys some time to separate.

"Oh, what a nice fella you are! Is Brian okay in there? He told me about how he broke up with his girlfriend and he was feeling down because of it." the woman asked. Ezra was confused at first, but quickly caught on.

"No worries, my brother and I are here just for that! We wanted to cheer him up so he can get his groove back, you know?" The woman laughed.

"Alright, I'll leave you boys alone!" she said as she left, and Ezra let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding.

"The coast is clear, guys!" he announced. Caleb and Brian exchanged a smile, holding hands.

"Do you want to come over?" Caleb suggested, and Brian nodded.

"We can't really hang out here because of my parents, so yeah, I'd like to spend some time with you." Brian finally got out of bed for the first time in days, took a quick shower and got ready, and in no time, they had arrived at the Mitchell's house.

It was late and the boys were watching a movie, huddled together on the bed. Caleb was the first to make the suggestion, leaving Brian worried and uncertain.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? You're asking a lot. Just being with you is something new, and I don't want to burn through steps..." He hesitated, and appreciated it when Caleb didn't rush or guilt him. When, however, he brought it up again and made the suggestion, he had thought about it thoroughly and most of his worries and doubts had vanished. Caleb flashed him a smile, asking him about his change of mind, to which he only got three words as a response.

"I trust you."

The next days went by pretty fast. Having only recently reconciled, the couple decided to spend most of their time at school alone together instead of hanging out with their friends. Their relationship was striving and showed no sign of turning sour. Their friends cheered for them and wished them the best, but some people were very displeased with it. Their plan had failed, and they swore they would do whatever it takes to get Brian out of Cedar Cove. Even if it meant breaking some rules and even laws.


	9. Chapter 9

It seemed time had flown by, because not even a week after their reconciliation, Brian and Caleb found themselves side by side with Frank, Julian, Morgan and Dylan, competing against Cedar Cove's neighbouring town in a volleyball match. The first half of the game went by rather fast and well, with Cedar Cove gaining the upper hand.

"Guys, it's cool and all that you're buds again, but could you please concentrate on the game?" Julain complained.

"What do you mean? We're focused! Maybe if you weren't so bad, it would be easier!" Brian retorted, angering Julian.

"I'M bad? You clearly haven't seen yourself play!" The fighting kept going until Max arrived, not so subtly shoving Caleb onto Brian, faking a surprised expression and yelling.

"Holy crap, the rumors were true! Caleb and Brian are actually hooking up! Hey, everyone! Those two are dating!" Brian pushed Caleb off of him and got up, shoving Max.

"You think you're funny? I'm not gay! Stop making stuff up and being a pathetic excuse of a player!" Brian yelled at him, and Max punched him.

"Are you sure? Because my girl Kara snatched a few pictures. It would be a shame of she sent those to the wrong person, right?" he sneered.

"Is that a threat?" Brian asked.

"What if it is? What are you gonna do about it? Chicken out and su-"

"That's enough!" Caleb shouted, stepping between the two.

"Oh, look, your boyfriend to the rescue!" Max mocked. "That's my cue to leave. Later, suckers!" He left abruptly, leaving the team and audience shocked. Murmurs were going around, dirty looks and gasps thrown in for good measure. Brian, having had enough, stormed off and locked himself in his car.

"Geez, talk about a way to announce it to everyone... Should you go get him?" Julian suggested, but Caleb shook his head.

"In moments like these, he just needs his space. I'm not gonna bother him."

The game continued without Brian, and the team suffered his loss greatly, losing against the opposing team. What worried Caleb the most, however, was the state he left his boyfriend in. He first thought that giving him some space would be the best, but flashes of what he had seen Brian do in his weakest moments, things he had been told by his boyfriend, and memories of him hurting because of his actions during moments of intimity, and fear took him over. He ran to Brian's car, only to see his fear had come true. Brian stood still in the car, a sharp shard of bloodied glass in his hands and a broken window to his right. His whole being was trembling, so Caleb climbed in the car and wrapped his arms around Brian.

"I'm sorry I didn't come see you earlier, I thought giving you some space would be the best. I see I was wrong..." he said. Brian remained quiet. "How bad is it?" Brian couldn't hold it any longer and lashed out at him.

"Did you really think it was a good idea to just stand there and let Max ruin our chance!?" he yelled. "Because of him, my parents will definitely know about us and I'm in no hurry to find out what they're gonna do to me!"

"Brian, I'm sor-"

"Get out of my car."

"What?"

"Get out of my car. We're over. For good, this time. I love you, but I also have survival instincts. Now get out before I throw you out the window." Beaten down , Caleb complied, giving one last glance at Brian before he drove off."


	10. Chapter 10

"Mom? Do you think I'm old enough to like someone? For real?" Brian asked, looking up at his mother.

"You just started middle school, don't expect anything serious. Why do you want to know that?" she said. Blood rushed to Brian's cheeks, tainting them a bright pink.

"I think I like Caleb!" he admitted, gleeful, earning an eyeroll from his father.

"Of course you like him, he's your best friend! You wouldn't be friends with an enemy!" he sighed.

"So that means he can be my boyfriend?" Brian beamed. His parents glared at him, his mother gripping the knife she was using to cut vegetables and pointing it directly at her son. His father grabbed his neck, and Brian felt himself becoming more and more dizzy by the second.

"Our son will not date men, Brian! We would rather have a dead son than a gay son!" they exclaimed. Brian, despite the lack of air, managed to blurt out a cry for help. But nobody came.

"And we will not hesitate to make a gay son dead!" His mother smirked as her arm swung, the blade of her knife aiming for his neck. But before he could feel the blade slash open his jugular, Brian jumped awake in his bed, holding his throat.

"Goddammit..." he mumbled, letting tears fall down his cheeks, hugging his knees close and trying not to panic. He was trembling, terrified. Quickly, th boy grabbed his phone and dialed his best friend's number.

It was barely past 2 am when Caleb's phone rang. The sleepy teenager grumbled and grabbed his phone, picking it up.

"Hello?" he yawned. On the other end of the line, Brian's voice was shaking.

"H-Hey... I-" he burst out sobbing, unable to hold himself back any longer. "I need to get out of here, Caleb! I'm terrified! I just want to be with you, you make me feel safe..." Caleb groaned.

"Do I need to remind you who broke up with whom, or do you remember? What was it you said, 'you have survival instincts'? And yet, you still trust that your parents won't know that we dated?" Caleb spit out, annoyed and tired.

"Come on, Caleb, I'm not asking for much! I just want to stay at your place for one night! Please! I really don't want to stay here!" he pleaded.

"What words don't you undertand in 'we're over'? I'm not letting you manipulate me again, Brian! You're just an asshole, plain and simple!" Caleb accused, fed up. "Don't try to call me again in the middle of the nigh, because next time, I'm not gonna pick up!" Brian tried to mask his hurt, sounding as arrogant and superior as he used to all throughout the year.

"You know what? I don't need you! I never even loved you! I can't believe you even thought I'd go as low as to date a loser like you! Who do you think you are, a superhero or some crap? Because you're hella dumb for falling for me!" he said, then hung up, throwing his phone accross the room.

His parents, alerted by the noise, rushed to his room.

"Brian, what was that? You broke another one of your phones?" Mrs Crandall asked. Brian didn't flinch.

"Shut up, mom! Leave me the heck alone, okay? You and dad hate me!" Brian accused. His parents, offended, tried to defend themselves.

"We never said we hated you, Brian! What did we do? We forgot to buy you the newest console? Don't worry, we'll go get it tomorrow!" his father promised, but Brian groaned.

"No! I don't want any of the crap you get me! I just want parents I'm not gonna be scared of when I tell them I'm dating my best friend, okay!? There, I said it! Caleb and I are dating! Or, we were, until I broke up with him for the second time because you were about to find out and I was scared of you!" he yelled, leaving his parents in shock.

"Brian, this is completely unacceptable! You know what we think of those kinds of things!" his father warned.

"Does it look like I care!? You don't even want to believe fricking doctors when they all tell you I have BPD, and you just think I can be pacified by useless stuff! But it's not gonna work anymore, I'm sick of it all!" Brian tried to catch his breath after emptying his bag, but he wasn't even allowed a second to breathe before his father grabbed him by the neck and carried him outside.

"Go get the neck chain, Margaret!" he ordered his wife, and she complied, joining him outside. Brian kicked and punched, but in the end, he was overpowered as his parents stripped him to his underwear and tied a chain around his neck.

"Think of what you've done, Brian!" his father growled, giving his son a kick in the ribs. Not long after, his mother arrived with a huge sign and a hammer, securing it on the ground. Brian barely got a peek at the sign, but it was enough to read 'I'M HERE BECAUSE I GOT INTIMATE WITH ANOTHER MAN' in bold letters.

"I hate you both!!" he screamed at his parents as they walked back inside their house.

A few weeks passed and the gang was beginning to worry. They hadn't seen Brian at school for nearly a month.

"Maybe he just decided he wasn't attending Summer school?" Emma suggested. "After all, he told us many times that he thinks of us as losers." Michael agreed.

"He's a hypocrite. Once things go his way, he does a 180 and flips off everyone he depended on"

"Or he could simply have gone on a vacation with his parents to make the most out of his Summer." Aiden countered, earning a kiss from his boyfriend.

"You're so smart." Dylan complimented.

"Whatever it is, he ditched us, so why are we even talking about him?" Caleb was clearly on edge, a mix of resentment and worry branded on his face.

"I say we go check on him still!" Myra ordered, to everyone's surprise.

"I thought you hated him after he threw that baseball at you?" Mia questioned, but Myra shrugged.

"I'm not heartless like him! Just because I hate the guy, doesn't mean I would let him suffer if he was in danger!" Myra justified.

"You're right. I would feel bad if he was in actual danger and we let him die, even if he hurt my brother." Ezra agreed. The gang, having come to a consensus, decided to skip their next period and go check on Brian. However, none of them expected to see their friend like this, once they arrived.

Caleb was the first to rush out of his car and go see Brian.

"Oh god, Brian... You weren't kidding when you said your parents would go all out on you..." he whispered, but Brian ignored him. Michael, Nishan and Myra joined him next, trying to help break the chain, to no avail.

"Hold on, I'm calling my dads, they'll know what to do!" Maria said, dialing her home number.

"Brian, I'm so sorry I didn't take you seriously, I didn't know it would be that bad..." Caleb apologised, but Brian remained silent. His friends tried to break the chains, but even Frank wasn't able to do as much as scratch them. After hearing the commotion, Mr. and Mrs. Crandall rushed outside. At nearly the exact moment, Mr. Flores and his husband parked in front of the house, with other backup police officers following not too far behind.


	11. Chapter 11

"What the hell are you all doing here!?" Mrs. Crandall yelled, as officer Stephen Flores got out of his car.

"You go help the boy, I'll take care of the two!" he shouted at his team before he took off running after Brian's mother. Jose got started on unlocking the chains and some help from the other officers, and soon enough, Brian was free.

"Don't worry, Brian, you're safe." Jose assured, but Brian didn't seem to have processed that information. "Brian? Can you hear me?" he asked, to no avail. Alarmed, he rushed to the other officers. "Hey, the boy isn't responding to anything! Is that normal?" One of the officer's eyes lit up with fear.

"Crap, he's in shock! Guys, where's the ambulance?" he yelled, running to Brian. The officer picked him up and carried him to his car, offering him a small jacket that he wrapped around the boy's shoulders. "There, it's not much, but it's better than nothing. The ambulance will be here soon." He was trying to be reassuring, checking Brian's vital signs. "Man, you're in one hell of a condition..." the officer sighed. Shortly after, the ambulance arrived, and the officer helped carry Brian inside to be handled by the first responders.

On his side, Stephen was running after the Crandalls, trying to catch up to at least one of them. Mrs. Crandall eventually tripped, which gave him an advantage, and he tackled her, holding her wrists behind her back.

"Ma'am, you're under arrest for negligence and mistreatment of a minor!" Stephen yelled at her, reading her rights as she was dragged to his car. Once she was secured in there, he went looking for the husband.

"Flores, I got the other!" Cody, his recruit, yelled.

"Good job!" Flores congratulated, then went to find his husband and daughter. He found Jose by the ambulance, keeping a close eye on Brian, and Maria nearby with her friends.

"Hey, Jose. How's the boy?" he asked.

"He's in shock." Jose replied. "He's not in any danger, but this is going to change him drastically." Stephen sighed.

"Poor boy... Maria always said he was a jerk, but even he didn't deserve that kind of treatment." Maria came over and hugged her fathers.

"Dad, is Brian okay?" she asked. The men sighed and explained everything to her. Horrified, she ran back to Caleb and told him what she had just been told.

"I knew I should have let him come over..." he mumbled, guilty. "Instead, I let this happen to him. God, I'm an awful boyfriend..." His friends tried to assure him that it wasn't his fault, and that Brian's parents were the only ones to blame, but nothing could shake that feeling of guilt Caleb had.

"I just hope he'll forgive me..."

"Come on! Maria, Brian, you're gonna be late!" Jose called as the pair ran to the kitchen.

"We haven't even had breakfast yet!" Maria complained, but Brian just shrugged, grabbing a protein shake from the fridge.

"Breakfast is for losers!" he taunted.

"Oh yeah? Well, what's that you're drinking?" she snapped back, causing Brian to choke on his drink. "Yeah, that's what I thought! Can I take one?" Brian nodded and grabbed another bottle from the fridge, tossing it in her direction.

"Good, everyone's ready?" They both nodded. "Go, then! Have a nice day!"

They both drove to Berry High on their own, joining their friends near the Ollie the Tiger's statue. Caleb hugged both, quickly kissing his boyfriend.

"We thought you were skipping school! What took you so long?" Autumn complained.

"Our alarms didn't ring." Maria explained.

"Yeah, right, YOUR alarm didn't ring. Mine did, I was just busy warming up in the basement." Brian corrected, and Maria sighed.

"I was tired!" Before anyone could retort, the bell rang, and the gang headed for their class.


	12. Chapter 12

The Summer dance was getting closer and closer, and everyone was running after a date to bring. At the same time, the end of Summer quarter was also nearing, bringing everyone in a hurry to catch up on what they hadn't paid attention to. In class, Brian amd Caleb didn't stop disrupting class. Especially Brian. The Flores weren't expecting such a troublesome boy when they took him in, but the couple soon realised they had a spoiled brat on their arms.

"We need to do something about him, get him to see a psychiatrist or something!" Jose suggested, and Stephen agreed.

"This boy sure has some sort of disorder! It's not possible that he's THIS insufferable on purpose!"

"He might have a severe case of the spoiled only child." Jose grinned. "I'm proud we didn't raise Maria to be like this!" Stephen kissed his husband, smiling.

"I'll take the appointment for Brian."

A few days rolled by and, before long, Brian was in a psychiatrist's office with Jose and Stephen Flores.

"Hi, Brian, welcome back!" the lady greeted. "I see you have new company! It's really nice to meet you, sirs."

"The pleasure is all ours." Stephen replied.

"So, what brings you here again, Brian?" The boy shrugged and pointed at the two men sitting on each side of him.

"Those two brought me here. I don't why."

"We were wondering if Brian had any history or diagnoses when it comes to his mental state." Jose explained.

"Oh! He does, Brian suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. Mr and Mrs Crandall refused to medicate him, despite my constant insisting that he starts medication." the doctor revealed.

"Oh, gosh... My sister has BPD and she always tells me her life was hell before she startes her medication!" Stephen said. "Can you prescribe him something?" The lady nodded and quickly scribbled something on a strip of paper, handing it to Stephen.

"Citalopram works in most cases, but if you notice the medication is ineffective, feel free to come back and either adjust the dose or try another molecule." she said and smiled. "Is that all?" The two men nodded.

"Actually, I'd like to talk some." Brian interjected.

"Oh, that's fine! We'll be waiting outside, Bri-bear!" Jose teased jokingly, leading his husband out of the room.

"They seem really nice to you." Miss Lalonde noted, and Brain acquiesced.

"Much better than my parents. They actually care about me instead of trying to pacify me with useless junk."

"What happened to your parents?" Brian took a deep breath and explained everything.

"That's truly awful... Have you been getting support from your close ones?"

"Yeah, I have. But I can't just forget about it like that! I still have nightmares about being chained outside, and how humiliated I was!" Miss. Lalonde nodded.

"Something as traumatising as this can be hard to overcome. That's why you'll need help and support. You have your friends, your boyfriend, and you can take an appointment with me whenever you feel the need."

"I know..." Brian sighed. "Thanks for everything." The doctor smiled and nodded.

"You're welcome, Brian. I'll see you soon?" Brian hesitated, then returned her smile.

"Yeah, see you soon." He then exited the office and joined the Flores in the waiting room.

"How did it go?" Jose inquired.

"Oh, it went well." Brian replied and stretched his back. "Think we can go grab some food? I'm starving."

"That's a good idea." Stephen approved, leading them to his car.

The next morning, as they were getting ready for school, Brian was extremely nervous.On the edge of tears, even.

"What are you waiting for, dummy? Take them!" Maria encouraged. But Brian only kept staring at his medication nearly melting in his hand.

"I've waited so long for these, I can't believe I actually have them!" he whispered, gleeful. Stephen patted his shoulder.

"Come on, they're all melting, hurry before they disappear." he encouraged. Brian threw the pills in the back of his mouth and jerked his head back, swallowing the pills

"I- I feel different. Do I look different? Is it gonna change me forever? What if I never have to deal with outbursts ever again or psychotic fits? What if all my paranoia and disillusion disappears? Will I still have mood swings? I hope not! Man, this is-"

"Brian, Brian, calm down! You're getting in a bit of a frenzy here, and you're still not done preparing for school!" Jose warned.

"Right. Thanks, Mr Flores." The ginger boy finished getting ready for school, then drove there with Maria.

"Okay, but am I different?" Maria rolled her eyes.

"Well, for one, you're much more annoying than usual." she teased.

"So this medication is making me more annoying?" Brian grew more anxious.

"Eyes on the road, Crandall!" Maria warned, and Brian calmed down.

"Sorry, I just got a bit overwhelmed." he apologised. They arrived at the school minutes later and joined their friends. Brian grabbed Caleb by the shirt, kissing him dramatically in front of their friends.

"Woah, what was that for?" Caleb asked, taken aback, and Brian grinned.

"I'm just having a good day!" he said. Maria sighed.

"He took his BPD medication for the first time." Maria explained, angering Brian.

"I told you not to tell anyone about this, Maria! Don't you ever listen to what I tell you!?"

"What's BPD?" Emma asked, curious, but Brian grumbled and stormed off.

"Goddamn it, Maria! Way to ruin everything!" He locked himself in the gym's locker room, hiding behind a row of lockers, and suddenly felt the urge to cry.

"I guess it didn't do anything for the mood swings yet..." he sighed. "I just want to be normal for once..."


	13. Chapter 13

"Brian? Come on, Brian, stop hiding!" Caleb called out, looking around the locker room. "Brian?" He opened a locker with an indent on it and, fair enough, Brian was hiding inside.

"What do you want?" Brian asked, cold.

"Woah, can't I check on my boyfriend when he storms off in front of all our friends? I just wanted to see if you were okay." Caleb inquired.

"Of course I'm not!" Brian exclaimed. His voice was cracking, his face distorted into a hurt grimace. "Maria couldn't shut her stupid mouth and told everyone about my condition! I keep having nightmares that keep me up all night! And on top of that, my medication isn't working!" Caleb helped him out of the locker and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry about Maria, and I'm sure she is, too." Caleb said softly. "Maybe you should give yourself some time with the medication, though. It's not instantaneous. Remember when I first took my ADHD medication?" Brian nodded.

"You couldn't sit straight because you couldn't wait for the meds to take effect, and it only happened after a week or so." Caleb smiled at him and nodded.

"Just give yourself some time, and it will all get better." Caleb smiled and kissed Brian, who returned the gesture, shyly holding his boyfriend's hand. The pair was only interrupted by Koh, who strutted in as if nothing was happening.

"I guess that means class is starting, if Koh is here to skip it!" Caleb grinned, leading Brian out of the locker room and to their homeroom.

Days passed, and Brian was slowly seeing the effects of his medication. His behaviour had improved drastically, so did his mood and overall quality of life. For once, he felt normal, like he could fit in. His jerk tendencies didn't disappear, since his sense of humour wasn't that funny and he had a habit of taking practical jokes too far, but he wasn't much of a bully anymore. He still found fun in teasing the freshmen, but he didn't beat up any of them.

"Pay attention, everyone!" Ms Maddox spoke up. "Finals are next week! I'm giving you a free period to study, don't waste it!" She sat at her desk and didn't say another word for the remainder of the period, looking calm and friendly as always. Brian and Caleb teamed up, as usual.

"So, what are your plans, this weekend?" Brian asked. Caleb shrugged.

"Whatever yours are. Ezra's inviting his girl Bethany over, and those two are hella annoying." he replied as Brian grinned.

"Spend the night at my place?" he suggested, gaining Caleb's approval.

The weekend rolled by, night had fallen. The two lovebirds were cuddled, lying awake next to each other, panting, sweaty and warm, still dazed from the feeling of their intimate time together.

"Why do I love you so much?" Caleb asked, smiling tiredly, earning an eyeroll from Brian.

"Maybe because I'm irresistible?" The two boys laughed, sharing a few kisses.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Caleb asked, but Brian was fixated on the corner of the room. Curious, the jock turned his head to see what had gotten his boyfriend's attention, but there was nothing. "Brian?" he asked, but the boy didn't respond. He snapped his fingers in front of the redhead's eyes. "Hello, Earth to Brian!" But Brian simply uttered those words.

"There's a demon in here..."


	14. Chapter 14

"What the hell are you talking about? A demon? Didn't you tell me that demon stuff was just bogus nonsense?" Caleb asked, confused. Brian wasn't paying attention. He was fixated on the corner of the room. His hands were shaking, his forehead damp with sweat, his face deformed in a terrified grimace.

"Caleb, he's getting closer!" Brian panicked, glancing at his boyfriend. But all he saw was the dark-skinned boy sporting feathery, black wings. His eyes were bright with a blue, heavenly glow. The ginger buried his face in Caleb's chest, scared.

"I never knew you were an angel... Protect me, please!" he pleaded, to Caleb's confusion.

"Brian, calm down! There ain't no demons here, trust me! The Flores house is demons-free. And I'm no angel, I'm just like you!" he tried to rationalise. But Brian wasn't listening. He didn't hear anything. All he heard was laughter coming from the demon and whispering.

"Welcome to Hell, young boy!"

"Retribution for your sins!"

"Rotten to the core, a true Crandall!"

"It's time to pay for what you've done!"

"That's karma for your actions!" Brian twitched and turned, panicking, his eyes slowly filling with tears.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anyone!" he begged. The voices continued to taunt him, and he felt a suffocating warmth wash over him, strangling him from inside his throat.

"What in the world are you doing...?" Caleb was getting more confused by the minute, watching his boyfriend act so erratic.

"No one can save you now, Brian!" something whispered to the boy as the decor changed. Everything around him was a dark crimson, the heat inescapable. He could feel a tight chain locked around his hips, digging into his flesh, burning. Brian clawed at his earthy cell, keeping him locked, and even tried to break it with his fists. He punched and hit and scratched until his hands were a bloody mess, tears of terror staining his face.

"Let me go!" he cried out, but his captor simply snickered.

"You're not gonna break it, so stop hitting, Brian. You're gonna hurt yourself." they teased.

"You're not gonna break it, so stop hitting, Brian! You're gonna hurt yourself!" Caleb yelled. He was helpless in trying to get Brian to stop hitting the door, his arms wrapped around his boyfriend's waist in an effort to pull him back. The noise alerted the Flores, who rushed to Brian's room.

"What happened to him?" Maria asked, worried.

"I'm just as clueless as you are! He just started to stare at the wall and then this happened!" Caleb explained, and Maria's eyes lit up.

"Wait... If dad forgot his medication this morning, he also forgot to give Brian his... Crap, Brian skipped his meds! He's probably all messed up!"

"Oh no, you think?" Maria simply rolled her eyes.

"Your boyfriend is psychotic, Caleb! He's misinterpreting and hallucinating everything happening to him in his head!" Having heard everything, Jose rushed to the room to take care of Brian.

"Your father is calling an ambulance, we have to calm him down before he arrives there." he explained, taking Brian's hand and examining it. "Dress him up, Caleb. Maria, go get the first aid kit. I'll reason with him." he ordered as Maria rushed to the bathroom to get the kit. Caleb obeyed and, struggling quite a bit, managed to dress his boyfriend.

"Brian, listen to me. You're hallucinating, Brian." Jose spoke softly, yet firmly. "You're safe with us, in your room. There's nothing to fear."

A voice faintly echoed, barely reaching Brian's ears as he heard his captor mock him.

"You've hidden your true nature well enough, Crandall. Even with a boyfriend now that's convinced he's the first. But you know the truth, don't you?" Brian trembled and shook his head.

"You're lying! He's the only one!" he tried, but his captor only laughed.

"We both know that's a lie, Crandall. You're just like you feared: a sissy, a flaming homo, a walking stereotype of a closeted jerk!" they continued. "Stop lying to yourself, embrace your true nature!"

"Stop it! I'm not gay! You're just trying to trick me!" Brian defended, in tears. But before his eyes, he saw his memories flash; his deepest hidden secrets, his first boyfriends, his most secret fears and forbidden wants, it all came flooding back to him at once.

"Oh, we both know you are, Brian. It's written in your blood." Defeated, Brian broke into cries.

"Fine, I admit it! But I didn't ask to be born gay! I just wanted to be like everyone else! I wanted to be the popular guy at school who got a football scholarship and started his career in a professional team! I wanted to be able to come home to my boyfriend to sleep next to him at night and have a movie marathon on the weekends! I didn't want to have to fake being like all the other guys and hook up with every chick I saw to prove I was worth something!" he yelled, breaking down, causing his tormentor to smirk in victory.

"I knew you'd flinch eventually and admit it eventually."

"Wait... Brian said he wasn't into guys!" Caleb said. "He was lying the whole time?" Maria simply shrugged, holding Brian's wrist.

"Can't say I'm surprised." she said.

"Brian, listen to me." Jose tried.

"Listen to me." Brian could hear a voice reaching out to him.

"Brian, you're okay. You have a boyfriend who loves you. Stephen and I care about you." He tried to locate the voice and arrived face-to-face with an angel. In the burning heat of Hell and the darkness of his cage, he could barely make out the winged creature's features. But when he did, he recognised...

"Jose?" he hesitated. The angel nodded, as his wings slowly faded.

"Jose?" Brian weakly uttered. The man smiled and nodded, hugging the boy close.

"He's coming back to himself!"

"Jose, what... What's happening? I just went in Hell and I saw an angel..." Jose simply rocked him, trying to comfort the boy.

"Hush, it's okay, you were hallucinating. You just had a psychotic fit, that's all. There's no Hell, no demon, no angels, just us, Brian. There's just us..." Slowly, everything around Brian disappeared, and he found himself back in his room, surrounded by Jose, Stephen, Maria and Caleb.

"Honey, the ambulance is here." Stephen alerted, but his husband shook his head.

"He's okay, tell them they can go, I'll take care of paying for their lost time." Stephen nodded and headed out.

"Geez, Brian, you have a lot of baggage..." Maria commented, passing her hand in the boy's hair.

"I think he just needs sleep right now." Jose affirmed, and Brian agreed.

"I'm tired..."

"Do you want me to go?" Caleb asked.

"No, please stay, I need you here with me..." he pleaded. Jose got up and lead Maria out of the room.

"Get some good rest, okay?" The redhead reassured him, then laid back in his bed, snuggled in his boyfriend's arms.

"Angel or not, I know you'll always be here to protect me..."


	15. Chapter 15

Morning came too soon, along with its questions and explanations. Caleb was lying in bed next to Brian, watching him, observing his features; his messy red hair and the feelings of his fingers tangled up in them. He loved to play with the soft locks whenever Brian felt stressed or depressed. His freckled round face and that snarky, knowing smile that Brian would sport whenever he had venom to spit, or when he felt arrogant or victorious. He loved to kiss that smile off his face by pressing his boyfriend's plump and pink lips to his. Caleb's head often laid on his strong yet scarred arms and strong chest. His chiseled biceps held him at night, pressed him close to Brian's chest, cuddled together in the evening, when Caleb could hear his boyfriend's heartbeat, and could throw a football way across. His eyes laid on his neck and shoulders, the tender skin turned a deep purple and crimson in various places, the shape of the jock's teeth imprinted in it. He kept admiring his boyfriend, a smile creeping onto his face as he planted a kiss on his forehead and whispered.

"You precious little thing..." Brian moaned in his sleep, turning over on his stomach, making a loud, obnoxious noise.

"Dammit, Brian!" Caleb exclaimed, shoving the sleeping teen's shoulder, covering his nose with his other hand. Brian jumped awake, scrambling in his bed.

"Huh? What? Is there fire?" he asked, still half asleep, making Caleb groan.

"You let one rip, and you stink, Crandall!" he said, hitting the boy's head with a pillow.

"Are you for real? You woke me for that?" Brian mumbled. Caleb frowned.

"Hey, you woke me when you rolled on my face!" he argued, but Brian wasn't having it.

"You. Woke me. Because. Of a f-cking. Fart. Are you kidding me!?" The boy groaned and got out of bed, mumbling to himself, Caleb following close behind.

"Brian? Who's Sam?" Caleb asked out of the blue, as the boys were lying on the couch, watching the horror movie It Lives In The Woods for what felt like the hundredth time. Brian, hearing the name, froze.

"How do you know about him?" the boy asked.

"You say his name a lot when you sleep." Caleb told him, a hint of worry in his voice. "Is he someone you're into-"

"He's an ass." he simply said, reassuring and intriguing Caleb.

"Mind telling me?" He kissed the fair-skinned boy's head. Brian sighed, looking off.

"He's a guy I 'dated' when I was younger. I was 12 and he was 19. He molested me for over two years, and he took my virginity when I was 13. He left after turning 22 because he had to study in another state to get his bachelor's degree. I never saw him again and I don't want to." he explained, keeping a straight face throughout, leaving Caleb dumbfounded.

"Wow... I had no idea, Brian-"

"Save it, I don't need pity. Michael is the only one who knows, now with you, and I trust you to do like him and never bring it up again." Caleb nodded, hugging his boyfriend.

"Wait... Why does Michael know?" Brian shrugged.

"Him and I had a thing last year before I became the team's QB. It wasn't romantic in any way, it was a purely physical relationship that lasted a few months."

"Wow... That must have been awkward..." Caleb hugged his boyfriend, pulling him onto his lap, tracing his fingers over the boy's opened gashes that took away from the integrity of his skin, kissing each and every one.

"It was for some time, but now it's all back to normal." Brian examined his boyfriend, counting the bruises and scars that years of sports training had left, looking for patterns of lines and tints that coloured Caleb's dark, delicate skin. They both took a deep inspiration, closing their eyes and, in unison, said...

"I love you."

"Hey, I thought you hated Montreal's Canadians?" Caleb inquired, joining his boyfriend at school the following day. Brian was sporting a white shirt with long, red sleeves and red maple leaf in the center of the shirt. The boy simply shrugged.

"It's a gift from my aunt in Canada." Caleb cocked an eyebrow.

"You're a Canadian?"

"My parents are. I was born in Vancouver, remember? My parents just followed the scent of money all the way to Washington and here I am in Cedar Cove." Caleb was dumbfounded.

"Wow, you're lucky. You could have stayed there and your parents wouldn't have had the choice to medicate your BPD and accept you're into men." he commented, making Brian frown and clench his fists.

"I think they would have polluted Canada more than anything with their toxicity."

"We're over, Aiden! You disgust me! Why don't you go back to your precious side guy? I'm sure he's waiting for you!"

"At least he makes room in his schedule for us, asshat! You've never done that!"

"Argh, go screw yourself, Aiden Zhou!"

Caleb and Brian were surprised to hear this argument, but even more so to see their friends gathered around Aiden and Dylan, who looked ready to break each other's jaw. Michael was pulling Dylan back by the shoulders and Ezra was holding Aiden, in an effort to separate the two.

"Look, your side-piece is here! Why don't you just go away with him?" Dylan spat out.

"I was with him before you were transfered here, moron!" Aiden bit back.

"What the heck is going on here?" Brian asked Nishan.

"Dylan just found out that Aiden and Ezra had been together in secret." the boy explained. "This is the messiest breakup I've ever seen." he commented.

"Yeah, even worse than with Zoe and..." but Brian interrupted himself as he got a glare from Caleb. "Yeah, this is pretty bad..."

"What is going on here, children? And what is everyone doing gathered here? Come on, disperse, give them some space!" Principal Hughs intervened.

Later, Caleb found Dylan outside, about to accept a smoke stick from some stranger.

"Hey, Dylan wait!" he pulled his friend aside. "What are you doing? This isn't good for you! How would you rejoin the football team next year if you had done that?" he scolded, but Dylan simply sighed.

"I can't believe Aiden did this... He's such a nice guy, it's not like him! I guess I was his side guy, after all..." Caleb put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I know the feeling, buddy. Don't worry, something good's gonna come your way soon." He pulled the green-haired boy into a hug, comforting him.

"I saw you and Brian in Montreal, by the way. My mom and I were sitting right next to you during the game. I guess the lucky calumet didn't work." Caleb burst out laughing.

"For crying out loud, how many Canadians are there in this school!?"


	16. Chapter 16 (Finale)

The Summer dance was finally here. The gym was decorated like a tropical party, students dancing all around. A drinks and snacks table was assaulted by hungry teenagers while others rushed to the karaoke machine. Ezra was playing on stage with his band, occasionally flashing a smile to Aiden.

"Wow, Maria really outdid herself with this!" Caleb commented, prompting Brian to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, right. She definitely didn't ask for my help and made me do the dirty work instead of letting me work out." Caleb laughed, kissing his boyfriend.

"Don't be so bitter, just enjoy tonight, okay?" The boy nodded, but just at that moment, someone shoved him.

"What are you still doing here, Crandall?" As he turned around, he saw Max and Kara glaring at him.

"We thought we were clear. You leave Cedar Cove or we make you." Kara threatened.

"Hey, leave him alone! Why do you even care if he stays?" Caleb yelled, and Max hissed.

"Oh, trust me, it's for his own good." His face had turned into a painful frown, revealing more than just hatred. "Unless he wants to deal with my uncle again, he has to go." Without another word, he and Kara left the gym, rendering the two boys lost in confusion.

"I don't even know who his uncle is!" Caleb hugged the redhead, kissing his forehead.

"Let's just enjoy the night, alright?" Brian nodded, and the two acted as if nothing had happened.

The night was going smoothly until the interlude.

"It's over, Aiden. We can't be together, I'm going to Texas! This ain't gonna work anymore, I'm sorry." Ezra explained to the musician, holding his rough hands into his. "Besides, you have Dylan to be with, right?"

"You mean I had." Aiden sighed. "I lost his trust, and he lost interest in me. Just... Look at him!" He pointed at Dylan, who was flirting with Michael while Maria was busy getting feedback about the dance.

"He already moved on to his next boyfriend." he sighed. Ezra pressed one last kiss to Aiden's lips, getting up and ruffling his hair.

"You'll find someone."

_*^~^*_*^~^*_*^~^*_

The new school year was just starting, the students were packing into the school. Caleb easily found his friends hanging outside. He hurried to them, dropping his bag at his feet to greet his friends.

"Hey, guys! Glad you're all here!"

"Hey, Caleb! Are you hyped for your Junior year?" Nishan asked, and the jock nodded. He was about to speak up, but someone honked him.

"Are you serious!? It's just like a normal car! You park or you crash, Maria!" Brian yelled to a frustrated Flores.

"I never drove a manual, okay!? Give me a break! It was YOUR idea to make me drive your stupid collection car!!"

"Don't you dare insult my car!" He groand and grabbed his bag, jumping out of the car, leaving Maria to park it by herself.

"Hey, guys!" he greeted.

"That really was a d-ck move, Brian." Myra stated, to which Brian simply shrugged. He then noticed Caleb and grabbed him, dipping him dramatically.

"Hello, handsome." he said to a quite surprised Caleb, kissing him.

"I don't remember you being such a gentleman!" Caleb commented just as the bell rang. However, once they found their homeroom, Brian immediately noticed their teacher and dragged Caleb to the back, trying to make himself as unnoticeable as can be. The teacher spoke up.

"Hello, class. My name is Samuel Warren, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for the year. It feels great to see some familiar faces. Doesn't it, Mr. Crandall?"

"Doesn't it?"


End file.
